


Tony's Side Project

by kuzibah



Series: Loki in Furs [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (kind of), Awards, Bedtime Stories, Children, Cookies, Dogs, Domestic, Doppelganger, Foursome - M/M/M/M, M/M, Multi, Sex Magic, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27559975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuzibah/pseuds/kuzibah
Summary: Tony visits Steve and his family, and enjoys a break from the corporate grind. The boys find out about a side project Tony has been pursuing, in a rather dramatic way. They accompany Tony, and others, to a prestigious event. Loki tries out a new and unusual spell (in bed). It ends with a surprise announcement.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Loki/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Loki in Furs [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1155875
Comments: 19
Kudos: 29





	Tony's Side Project

**Author's Note:**

> A low-stakes, kind of fluffy story in my "Loki in Furs" series. You can probably read it without having read the rest, but it will make more sense in context. Kind of Tony-heavy, just because he's fun to write.

“Uh, is that a new door?”

Steve looked up as Bucky came in the back. “New door?”

Bucky looked meaningfully through to the living room, where a formerly solid wall now had a rustic wooden door.

“Oh, right,” Steve said. “Tony’s visiting for a few days and he wanted to stay here. He offered to sleep on the couch, but Loki thought it would be nicer to make him a guest room.”

Bucky frowned. “Where’s the room? Or does the door open onto the flowerbed?”

Steve stood up and looked at the door himself. “Huh,” he said. “I thought he’d conjured an addition. You can’t see it from outside?”

Bucky shook his head.

“Well, let’s take a look,” Steve said, and they crossed to the door and opened it. Inside was a large but windowless room with pinewood paneling and hardwood floors. An enormous bed piled with plush bedding dominated the room and a few fur rugs dotted the floor. Another door led to what appeared to be a large, modern bath.

“And you say this isn’t showing up outside,” Steve said.

“Not at all,” Bucky confirmed. 

“Huh.” Steve walked further into the room, touching the furniture and walls. “I wonder where it is.”

“You are being amazingly cavalier about this,” Bucky said.

“Well, let’s face it, it’s far from the weirdest thing we’ve ever seen,” Steve pointed out.

“Agreed,” Bucky said, “but it may be the weirdest thing we’ve ever had in the house.”

“Bucky, we’ve had the Maximoffs for dinner three Christmases in a row, our brother-in-law is the god of thunder, and our kids’ favorite babysitter can stick to the ceiling. I’d say the weirdness bar is set pretty high.”

Bucky gave an annoyed huff. “I still don’t like it,” he said. “Can we go back to earth now?”

“Fine,” Steve said, and he and Bucky backed out, closing the door firmly behind them.

“When does Tony arrive?” Bucky asked. 

“I told him to get here around four,” Steve said, heading back to the kitchen to continue his work repairing one of Sarah’s mechanical toys that Knut had dismantled in a valiant attempt to save the household. “That gives the twins a chance to get settled after school and Afi to wake up from his nap.”

“We’ll eat around six, then,” Bucky said, giving the stew cooking in the crock pot a few quick stirs.

They heard the front door open and close, then the footsteps of Sarah, Valdr, and Knut as they came down the hall to the kitchen, and Bucky met them all in the doorway, scooping the children up for kisses then setting them down again so Steve could get his turn. Knut turned circles and panted excitedly until Bucky gave him some attention, as well.

Loki entered a moment later, hanging Knut’s leash and the children’s backpacks on their respective hooks.

“How was school?” Steve asked.

“Good,” the twins replied. 

“What did you learn?” Bucky said. 

“We did some addition today,” Sarah said.

“And we learned about the life cycle of frogs,” Valdr said. “They start as tadpoles and then they grow legs.”

“Really?” Bucky said. “That’s amazing!”

“We shall have to look for some in the spring,” Loki said. “According to my search on my device, that is when they are given to spawn.”

“Okay, homework?” Steve said.

“Fifteen minutes independent reading,” Sarah told him.

“May I read on a Starkpad?” Valdr asked.

“Nope, actual books,” Steve told them. 

When the children groaned, Bucky gave them a stern look and said, “hey, none of that. You know screens don’t count.”

The children sighed resignedly, then exited into the living room to retrieve their books ( _Elephant and Piggie_ for Sarah, and _The Princess in Black_ for Valdr) but stopped short to stare at the new door.

“Where’s that go?” Valdr asked.

“Oh, your Uncle Tony is coming for a visit,” Loki said as he entered the room behind them. “I thought he would be most comfortable with a room to himself.” 

“Uncle Tony’s coming?” Sarah repeated excitedly.

“When will he get here?” Valdr asked.

“Is he coming in his flying suit?”

“Can he fly us around?”

“Yes, soon, I don’t know, and over my dead body,” Loki said, then gave the children a moment to put the answers to their questions and make small, disappointed whines. 

“Now finish your reading,” Loki said. “I’m going to wake Afi, then we can play a game until your Uncle Tony arrives.”

+++

Tony touched down lightly in his Iron Man armor and stepped out of it just in time to be nearly bowled over by three blue children running at top speed.

“Hi! Hi! How are my three little sapphires?” he said over their shouted greetings.

“We’re so glad to see you!” Valdr said.

“We missed you,” said Afi, and Tony pulled them all into a hug.

“Whoo, it’s getting nippy here,” Tony said, setting the armor to close and put itself away in the shed. “Let’s get inside.”

Tony was absolutely delighted by the mysterious guest room, even going so far as to go back outside to check and tap on the exterior walls before returning inside.

“Where’s your luggage?” Steve asked.

“I’m having some things delivered a little later,” Tony said, tapping the bedroom’s paneled walls. “So if I were to drill a hole to the outside, what would happen?”

“You are not to drill a hole in here!” Loki shouted from the living room a moment before joining them. “It would collapse the entire room and you with it.”

“Doesn’t sound all that reliable,” Tony said, though he was clearly trying to bait Loki into telling him more.

“Then you are welcome to sleep upon the couch and share the children’s bathroom,” Loki said, not rising to it.

“There’s a bathroom?” Tony said, newly excited and bounding through the door to it. He turned one of the taps on and off. “So where’s the water coming from?” Tony went on. “If I flush the toilet do I get sucked into another dimension?”

“Ungrateful,” Loki muttered. 

“Just the opposite!” Tony insisted, coming back into the bedroom. “This may be the greatest bedroom I’ve ever slept in, and I once spent the night in Cinderella’s castle.”

“Her real castle?” Valdr asked, having migrated to the doorway to eavesdrop. 

“Disney World version, I’m afraid,” Tony said. “Family trip when I was six, a rare happy Stark family memory. Right up until Peter Pan asked for my dad’s autograph.”

But Valdr’s eyes had widened. “There’s a Disney _World_? Is that where Arendelle is?”

“Yes, it is,” Tony said, scooping the boy up onto his hip so he could look him in the eye. “And Mickey Mouse lives there, and Snow White, and Winnie-the-Pooh. Hmm. Maybe we should organize a trip there, for all the Avengers kids. What do you think, Steve?”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Steve agreed. “Maybe include SHIELD families and SI, too.”

“I like it,” Tony said. “Remind me to tell Pep when I call her tonight. So, what’s for dinner?”

+++

“Bucky, you have outdone yourself,” Tony announced at the dinner’s conclusion.

“Thanks,” Bucky said. “We’ll have dessert after the kids are ready for bed. Did you want any coffee?”

“Sounds great,” Tony said. 

“So, are you back at work?” Steve asked when Loki had shepherded the children up the stairs. 

“Not exactly,” Tony said. “I’ve got so many irons in the fire, I’ve been kind of freelancing around at the various projects. A few days at SI guiding the development of whatever they’ve got going, nights and weekends upgrading Iron Man, video-conferencing with Fury, then off to a project with Bruce, collaborating with Christine, staying on-call for Peter and the Maximoffs. It’s never-ending.”

Steve grinned. “You’re loving every minute of it.”

“I really am,” Tony admitted, grinning himself.

“And Pepper?”

Tony leaned in conspiratorially. “Steve, I can tell you this because I think you feel the same way,” he said, “but every morning I wake up and I cannot fucking believe I’m married to such an amazing person. Or people, in your case. How did I deserve this? And she _commits_ to it. Every day, she’s with me to make this thing work. I don’t get it.”

“Don’t ask me,” Steve said, grinning more widely now. “I always assumed she’d lost some kind of bet.”

Tony actually laughed at that, then sobered. “Like this visit,” he said. “She told me, ‘go on, have a few days with the boys. Blow off some steam.’ I didn’t even realize I needed that, but as soon as she said it, I knew she was right. Just, get away from… everything. No expectations.” 

“You know you’re welcome anytime,” Steve said. “Both of you.”

Tony grabbed Steve’s arm in a rare show of physical affection. “I appreciate that, Cap. I really do.”

In the next moment, the children entered in their pajamas, and Bucky came in from the kitchen with a tray of milk and brownies, and Tony gave Steve’s arm a last squeeze and smiled as he sat back.

“So, what do you rugrats do for bedtime?” Tony asked. 

“Dad or Bucky or Faðir reads to us,” Sarah said. “But from a big book.”

“A chapter book,” Steve clarified. “Ten or fifteen pages a night.”

“Sounds terrific,” Tony said. “Think your dad might let me guest star?”

The kids looked hopefully at Steve, who gave a resigned sigh. “Well, I suppose if you insist,” he said, and the children cheered.

+++

_Rikki-tikki held on with his eyes shut, for now he was quite sure he was dead. But the head did not move, and the big man picked him up and said, “It’s the mongoose again, Alice. The little chap has saved our lives now.”_

_Then Teddy’s mother came in with a very white face, and saw what was left of Nag, and Rikki-tikki dragged himself to Teddy’s bedroom and spent half the rest of the night shaking himself tenderly to find out whether he really was broken into forty pieces, as he fancied._

Tony closed the book and set it on the nightstand.

“A few more pages?” Sarah said, wheedling.

“Tomorrow night,” Steve said. “That is, if Uncle Tony doesn’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” Tony said. 

“What do we say,” Steve prompted. 

“Thank you, Uncle Tony,” Sarah and Valdr chanted. Afi, already asleep against Tony’s leg, snored softly.

“Off to bed, now, Pumpkin,” Bucky said, scooping Sarah up and setting her on the floor. 

“Okay. Good night,” she said, padding to her room across the hall. Loki leaned down and gently lifted Afi over to his little toddler bed, and Tony rose from Valdr’s bed and helped tuck him in. 

“We’ll be down in a minute,” Steve said to Tony. “Help yourself to more coffee.”

“Do you mind if I access MAMA?” Tony asked, referring to the house AI he’d set up for them.

“Not at all,” Steve said, and Tony went down the stairs while Steve, Bucky, and Loki finished putting the children to bed. 

They found Tony later going through one of his suitcases while he talked to Pepper on the video display.

“I sent a few things for the kids, too,” she was saying.

“I see that,” Tony said.

“The kids, Tony,” Pepper admonished. “I can get them for you any time.”

“But you don’t,” Tony said, pouting a little. “A few anisettes aren’t going to kill me, Pep. Have a heart.”

“Tony…” she began, then noticed the others. “Oh, hey guys! Sorry I couldn’t make it, but I thought Tony needed a little decompression. Don’t let him near a soldering gun.”

“Don’t worry,” Steve said. “We have a very exciting day of Avengers consultation, winterizing the garden, and then a movie with the kids.”

“Please. Pepper, give them whatever they want,” Tony teased. “Just don’t leave me here.”

“Goodnight, Tony,” she said. “I’ll call you when I get up in the morning.”

“Okay, goodnight, Mrs. Stark,” Tony replied. “I love you insanely, indestructibly, infinitely.”

Pepper gave him a smile that looked like the sun emerging from the clouds. “I love you, too, Tony,” she said. “See you in a few days.”

The holographic screen closed, and after taking a moment to smile to himself, Tony pulled out a few boxes from his suitcase and turned around, extending them towards Steve. “A few exotic items from the New World,” he said.

“Oh, you didn’t have to,” Steve began, but Tony pushed them into his hands. 

“Just a few tokens,” he said. “The big box is mostly for the kids, a cookie assortment from Katie at the coffee stand.”

“Really?” Bucky said, taking it from Steve. “Are there any sandies?” 

Katie had been the overnight attendant at the coffee shop at Stark Tower, and a favorite of the various residents and late-shift employees for both her sympathetic ear and seemingly endless cookie recipes that she spent all night baking for distribution the next day. Somehow she made everyone who stopped by in the wee hours feel like she was their own secret hidden treasure, always ready with their favorite soothing drink and treats warm from her little countertop oven. When Tony had moved Avengers operations out of New York City to the compound upstate, he had offered her anything she wanted to take over the coffee stand there, and she eventually settled on triple he salary, a part-time nurse to look after her late husband’s mother, and a switch to the day shift. Tony considered himself to have gotten a bargain.

Bucky unwrapped the box and exclaimed in delight, then popped one of the crisp, cinnamon-dusted cookies in his mouth before passing the box to Loki. It made two rounds, each man taking their favorites (poppy-seed rugelach for Loki, delicate anisettes for Tony, and chocolate-chip for Steve) and standing quietly while they crunched away. 

The other boxes contained some organic dog biscuits from a high-end pet boutique in Manhattan and a framed photo of the family from Tony and Pepper’s wedding. On the left, Bucky and Loki were dancing close, their foreheads nearly touching as they laughed together. On the right, Steve was “dancing” with Sarah, holding her hands above her head while she stood on top of Steve’s shoes. In the foreground, Valdr and Afi held hands as they appeared to be jumping up and down.

“Tony! This is great!” Steve said. “I don’t remember us all together like this. Your photographer really caught a moment.”

“My photographer is an excellent hand at Photoshop,” Tony said. “But I thought it was a great composite. It’s in our album, too.”

Steve passed the photo to Bucky, who grinned fondly, and then passed it to Loki, who touched the faces in the image reverently.

“It’s rather an excellent likeness of the little ones,” Loki said. “I try to take pictures on my device, but they rarely hold still long enough. When they are older, they’re sure to wonder why I took so many pictures as they slept.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve said. “This is a wonderful gift.”

“Indeed,” Loki agreed, removing the boxes to the dining room hutch.

+++

The rest of the evening was mostly catching up with Steve about the Euro-Avengers (Steve thought the twins might benefit from heading out on assignments separately; Natasha needed more convincing), Bucky on his university courses (he’d gone about as far as he could on-line and was exploring options Loki could teleport him to; Tony promised to talk to his contacts at NYU), and Loki on what was happening in New Asgard (very little, actually, as it happened the Aesirs’ magic flowed weakly in Midgard, and though they could create spectacular illusions of a city of palaces, most of their people were living in simple wooden lean-tos; Tony said he would contact Thor and see if they couldn’t arrange some sort of trade). They talked about the children, their friends, and everything else while Bucky kept the fire burning on the hearth, and Loki’s hands kept busy knitting something very tiny with whisper-fine yarn.

At last, Bucky, Steve, and Loki left Tony alone and went to bed, promising to wake him in time to walk with the children to school, and Tony found himself sinking into the impossibly soft bed in a room that he couldn’t quite accept the existence of.

+++

He woke to coffee and waffles and the excited shouts of the children, and in between bites he helped Afi into his shoes and sweater and allowed himself to be quizzed on basic math by Valdr as he checked his worksheets. Then then he, Bucky, the children and the dog were walking along the road that overlooked the fjord.

“Don’t the kids ride a bus?” Tony asked as they met up with some of the twins’ schoolmates.

“Not within two kilometers,” Bucky explained. “We’re just inside the cutoff.” He pitched a stick into the trees, sending Knut bounding after it. . “I think the exercise and the air is good for them, although we might drive them when the snow comes.”

Afi, in his stroller, waved his arms excitedly. “Snow!” he cried. “Snoooow!”

“Sorry, Buckaroo, no snow yet,” Tony said. 

“Faðir make snow?” Afi said.

Tony glanced over at Bucky. “Uhh…”

“Your Faðir probably _can_ make snow,” Bucky told him. “But we need to let the seasons come in their time, Afi.”

Afi waved his arms again meaningfully. “Afi make snow,” he said.

“Maybe someday you will,” Bucky allowed.

“How’s that going?” Tony said. “I know the twins were getting pretty good at the magic stuff.”

“Still illusions, mostly,” Bucky said. “They’ve kind of reached a plateau, and Loki doesn’t want to push them. Probably in a year or two they’ll jump ahead again.”

“How about you, Buster?” Tony said, leaning over the handle to look down at Afi. “Any signs there?”

Bucky hesitated, and Tony shot him another look. “Yeah, it’s looking like Afi’s a little different from his siblings,” Bucky said.

“How so?”

“Loki says he doesn’t sense the magic flowing through him as strongly,” Bucky said. “Which is fine. But... we are noticing..."

“What?” Tony prompted, trying not to let the worry in Bucky’s voice reflect back from him.

Bucky lowered his voice so the children wouldn’t overhear. “He’s a lot bigger than Sarah and Valdr were at his age. If he keeps growing like this, he’ll be taller than them next year.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah. Loki told us… his people, the Jotuns, they’re also called Frost Giants, and they really are. Giant, I mean. Like, ten feet tall.”

Tony looked down at Afi, frowning.

“Anyway, it’s looking like Afi might favor that side of the family,” Bucky said. 

“Wow,” Tony said. “That’s amazing!”

“Yeah,” Bucky said faintly. “But also kind of scary. I mean, we’re going to have to involve a lot more magic if that’s the case.”

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Tony cleared his throat. “You know,” he said, going for casual and only getting about halfway there, “This might not be an entirely unique problem.”

Bucky glanced over, then threw Knut’s stick before venturing, “how so?”

“Well,” Tony began, “at least one of Clint’s kids looks like she wants to go into the family business. Scott Lang’s daughter, too. And Peter is still growing up. Your bee-eye-ell seems pretty serious about his girlfriend. I’ve got my eye on various whiz kids around the globe. And, keep this under your hat, but Pepper and I are talking about scrambling our DNA. So yeah, we might have to start an Avengers little league sooner or later.”

Bucky let that sink in. “I hadn’t thought about that,” he said finally.

“Look, I get it,” Tony said. “You want to avoid problems, so you live up here a million miles from nowhere. But that doesn’t mean help isn’t available.”

“That’s… thanks, Tony, really.”

“Hey, we’re a team,” Tony said. “There have to be some benefits to your honey-bunnies saving the world every other week.”

“I appreciate it, though,” Bucky said. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing to say,” Tony said. “Just call if you need anything.”

“I will,” Bucky said, as they reached the school’s front gate, and then he beckoned to Sarah and Valdr. “Okay, kids,” he told them. “Listen and work hard today, and one of us will be here when school lets out, okay?”

“Okay, we will,” they answered, and Bucky leaned down to give each a kiss and a hug. “Bye, Uncle Tony,” they called, joining with the stream of other children entering the building. 

“I can push the stroller going home,” Bucky offered, but Tony noticeably tightened his grip. 

“No way,” he said. “Afi and I are very much enjoying our stroll.”

“Okay, then,” Bucky said, tapping his thigh and bringing Knut to heel.

They walked in companionable silence for awhile, Bucky throwing a stick for Knut and Tony amusing himself chatting with Afi. When they got back to the house, Tony and Steve spent a little while playing with Afi and his blocks and talking further about various “Avengers exchanges” as well as some of the young people Tony was keeping an eye on.

“Of course, I have to be careful,” he said. “There’s an outfit that’s recruiting the so-called mutants that tends to get proprietary.”

“‘So-called?’” Steve asked. 

Tony waved one hand dismissively. “I mean, their official story is they’re born that way, and the powers develop as they age, it’s all part of the next evolutionary wave, but… I mean, have you seen what some of these kids can do? Telekinesis, creating energy beams more powerful than the arc reactor, controlling the weather? These aren’t natural traits. They tried recruiting Peter, so I called their ‘headmaster’ and had a nice, long discussion. Very illuminating. But anyway, we basically came to an agreement. Long story short, he gets the ones with innate ability, we get the ones who’ve been enhanced. And I got him to grandfather us the Maximoffs.”

Steve turned a worried glance to Afi, and Tony clucked his tongue.

“Oh, and we get aliens and part-aliens,” he went on. “That gives us first dibs on any of Thor’s future kids, too.”

“Tony, we can’t recruit children,” Steve said.

“No, no, no, nothing like that,” Tony said. “But ever since Iron Man and then you coming back, plus the other high-profile stuff, hometown heroes are popping up. Spider-Man was just the tip of the iceberg. Most of them are glorified neighborhood watch, but there are a couple it might be a good idea to keep our eyes on.”

“Such as?” 

“I’ll forward the dossiers to MAMA,” Tony said. “Maybe we could put together some sort of mentorship program.”

“We should do something,” Steve agreed.

“We don’t want these kids falling in with a criminal element.”

“Maybe you could make some videos,” Bucky called in from where he was doing classwork in the dining room. “‘So, you’ve developed super powers. Boy, I know what that’s like.’”

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. “I will never forgive Peter for showing you those things,” he muttered, then answered more loudly, “I told you! They wanted to bring my image into the twenty-first century. I thought it might be helpful.”

“You should have let your brain completely defrost before you signed anything!” Bucky shouted back.

“Shut up!” Steve retorted. “And you can zip it, too, Tony. We all have a few boners in our past.”

At which point Tony began laughing so hard he tipped over onto his side, gasping for air, while Steve turned from red to maroon to purple.

Which is how Loki found them when he teleported home from his therapy appointment. Bucky wasn’t much help, either. 

Twenty minutes and a couple glasses of ginger ale later, they had all collected themselves enough for Tony to ask the three how therapy was working out for them when they were politely interrupted by MAMA.

“Mister Stark, I have a phone call for you being transferred here by Jarvis,” she said. “Do you want to answer now or shall I take a message?”

Tony jumped up excitedly. “No, I’ve been waiting for this,” he said. “Put it through. Speaker, please.”

“Hello, is this Anthony Stark?” said a pleasant male voice with a light Scandinavian accent. “This is Dr. Axel Bergstrom, head of the Nobel prize committee at the Karolinska Institute.”

Immediately, Tony had Steve and Bucky’s undivided attention and he grinned. “Yes, Dr. Bergstrom. How can I help you?”

The man on the line chuckled. “Well, Mr. Stark, it’s my distinct pleasure to inform you that you and Dr. Christine Palmer are this year’s recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for your discovery of an integrated neurological prosthetic. Congratulations, Mr. Stark!”

“Thank you, Dr. Bergstrom,” Tony said, trying to sound both surprised and humble and not quite succeeding. Meanwhile, Bucky was staring in shock while Steve tried to whisper as quietly as he could to Loki exactly what this meant.

Tony and the doctor exchanged a few more pleasantries, then rang off, and Tony turned to the others with a huge smile. “I always thought it would be for physics, to be honest,” he said.

“You are still relatively young,” Loki said. “There is time.” And Steve looked mildly horrified while Tony burst out laughing.

“Is this...?” Bucky began, and they all turned to him. “Is this about my arm?”

“Yes, but not just you,” Tony said. “Christine and I have a nice little side hustle going on cybernetic limbs. It’s a fairly sizable branch of the foundation these days.”

“I… really?” Bucky seemed stunned.

“I’ve kind of kept it under wraps,” Tony said. “Let Christine be the face of it, do the journal articles, speak at symposiums, that kind of thing. But yeah, it’s changing people’s lives.”

Before he could go on, MAMA announced another call, from Pepper this time.

“You did it, Tony!” she shouted. “Oh, my God, I knew it. I knew it!”

The video screen had opened for this call so they could all see Pepper, still in her pajamas and dressing gown, bouncing excitedly. Tony grinned, at a rare loss for words.

“Did you know this was coming?” Steve asked.

Pepper blushed adorably. “Well, not for sure,” she admitted. “But there was a lot of talk.”

“It was just a matter of time,” Tony said. “You start a revolution in prosthetic design, eventually they have to acknowledge it.”

Tony allowed Pepper to shower him with praise a few more minutes, then reminded her he should probably call Dr. Palmer. After a few more excited squeals and a promise to talk that afternoon, they rang off.

“Tony…” Steve said. “If you knew this was a possibility why did you come here? You should be home celebrating with your wife.”

“Well, she suggested it,” Tony said. “You guys are as much a part of this as anyone. I would never have gotten involved with this on my own. And Bucky, really, as proud as I am of Iron Man and the arc reactor technology and everything we do through the Foundation…” Tony paused, swallowing hard. “If you could meet the people we’ve helped with this…”

“Oh, Tony,” Steve said fondly, while Bucky tried to find words.

Tony got control of himself quickly and smiled at Bucky. “You’re a pioneer,” he said. “I know when I first asked you to take a look at your arm, that monstrosity, it took a lot for you to say yes. And it took a lot to do all we needed to do to get the new one, but I… I’m proud of you. And now we’ve made over a thousand prosthetics. Arms, legs, for veterans and cancer patients and little kids. If it weren’t for you…” Tony swallowed again. “I’m a little overwhelmed just now,” he admitted. “Loki, do we get cell service in the phantom zone?” he asked, indicating the guest room.

“It should carry through the door, yes,” Loki said.

“Okay, I’m going to go call Christine,” Tony said. “Pick some place for lunch, my treat.”

When Tony had retreated, Bucky turned to Steve. “Did you know?” he said. “That they were making more?”

“No idea,” Steve said, then added, “are you okay with it?”

“I…” Bucky ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “I can’t… I don’t know what to think, but… God, Steve, after everything, for some good to come out of it. To help people. I never thought…”

Steve gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s a good thing, Buck. You heard Tony. There are little kids walking around on legs your arm made possible. Think of that.”

Bucky seemed to sway unsteadily, and Steve stepped forward, enfolding him in his arms.

Afi, seeing the hug, ran over and threw his arms around Bucky’s legs, and with a laugh, Loki joined them, too. Bucky gave a watery laugh of his own and scooped Afi up to pepper his little face with kisses.

+++

Tony ended up letting Afi talk him into watching the youngster’s current favorite movie ( _Cars_ ), and then walked with Loki to retrieve Sarah and Valdr from school. He explained a bit of the significance of his achievement, then asked about Loki’s experience with his therapist.

“She is unusually wise for a Midgardian,” Loki told him. “And it seems I cannot unnerve her, no matter what dark secrets I reveal. In fact…” And here Loki paused. Tony let the silence stretch out, having had enough experience with his own therapy to know curious prompting would get him nowhere, but Loki spoke no further on the matter. 

“You know, I think we may have a mild winter,” he said after a few minutes, putting the previous topic to bed.

+++

Tony stayed one more night, enjoying a delicious meal, much more conversation, and multiple phone calls from news organizations around the world. He promised to return when he could and assured Valdr and Sarah he would watch their favorite movies, too. 

After the children went to bed, Tony thanked all three men, then grew thoughtful. “I’m allowed to invite my friends and family to the presentation in December,” he said. “No pressure, but, do you think you might be able to come?”

Steve, Bucky, and Loki looked at each other with varying levels of excitement and Steve smiled at Tony.

“We would love to.”

+++

The day before the ceremony came quickly and two of Loki’s followers who often looked after the children, Jørn and Mette, arrived in the morning with several activities to keep them entertained, including a toboggan, several board games, and an ice cream maker. By the time Steve, Bucky, and Loki were ready to go, the children were deeply involved in a game of “Hüsker Dü?” and only barely broke it up to say goodbye.

Loki teleported them all to the hotel lobby in Stockholm, which was filled with guests that strongly suggested many were also there for the Nobel ceremony. Steve put an arm around each of his husband’s shoulders. “Okay, fellas,” he said. “Here’s our plan: Get checked in. Find Tony. Should be simple. Let’s go.”

It actually was simple. Tony called while they were waiting at the counter and met them at the elevator bank. “Where’s your luggage?” he asked as they rode together to their floor.

Loki gave him a pitying look, then made a movement with his hand and opened a small portal. He reached in and came back with a toothbrush, showed it to Tony, then placed it back inside and closed the portal again. 

“Handy,” Tony said.

“It really is,” Steve agreed.

“So, the dinner tonight,” Tony said, as they exited the elevator and walked to Steve, Bucky, and Loki’s suite. “It’s not real formal, but there will probably be one or two reporters, so dress accordingly.”

“Of course,” Steve said.

“I have to say, I’m really surprised by what a big deal this is,” Tony went on, as they entered the rooms. “I mean, I know, it’s the Nobel prize, but it’s still mostly for academics. But this is like the Oscars and the Super Bowl combined. There are reporters all over the place.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Bucky said. 

“Will some of the other winners be there?” Loki asked. “I’ve been reading some of the poetry of the literature prize winner, and found it very moving.”

“Not tonight,” Tony said. “This is more for us. Christine and me, I mean. And you, too, of course. But don’t worry, there’s an official reception and dinner tomorrow and I’ll see you meet her.”

“Thank you,” Loki said.

“Alright, then,” Tony said. “I’ll leave you to it, and see you in a few hours.”

“Thanks again, Tony,” Steve said, and with a wave, Tony was out the door.

+++

Tony hadn’t been exaggerating about the reporters. There were no fewer than eight film crews set up in the lobby doing interviews, and when the elevator doors opened there was a flurry of excited interest as reporters tried to determine if there was anyone of note aboard. Luckily, a man wearing a “Stark Industries” nametag hustled quickly past them, and said, “Captain Rogers? I’ve been asked to escort your party to Mr. Stark’s event.”

“Thanks… Jan,” Steve replied, reading the tag, and he, Bucky, and Loki followed him through the lobby and down the hall to one of the hotel ballrooms. The door was closed and guarded by two more SI employees, Leon and Isak, who nodded and opened the door.

They stepped in and were met with at least one hundred people seated at tables who all began cheering and stood as they entered. The three men stared in shock and confusion until they looked closer. At the table nearest them was a young man in an army dress uniform who was clapping with one flesh hand and one fashioned of gleaming chrome. Beside him stood a slender woman with two legs made of interlocking metal plates beneath her flowing skirt. A girl no older than four stood on her chair, both arms elegantly fashioned prosthetics covered in sparkly pink enamel.

Tony came over to them and put an arm around Bucky’s shoulders and raised his other hand to request quiet, and the room settled down. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Tony said. “May I present tonight’s guest of honor, the first recipient of the Stark/Palmer prosthetic device, Sergeant Bucky Barnes.”

The room went crazy again, and Tony led them up to the front table where Pepper, Christine Palmer, and a few other people Steve recognized from working at the Tower in one capacity or another.

Dinner was served while Tony and Christine discussed the early development of Bucky’s arm, what they’d learned, how they’d improved and adapted it, how the Maria Stark Foundation had funded it. Afterward, people who had received prosthetics told their stories: Marina, a woman who’d lost both legs in a train accident; the mother of Jacqueline, who’d suffered a terrible infection that had taken her arms as a toddler; and Lt. Joseph Cobb, who’d lost all four limbs in a harrowing attack on his convoy in Afghanistan. All expressed their deepest gratitude to Tony and Christine for their remarkable work, and to Bucky for his bravery in being a pioneer for the technology.

Steve watched his oldest friend react to these words, humbled, but maybe beginning to realize that out of everything some greater good had come. Afterward, they posed for selfies, and Bucky shook a hundred hands, many of them made of metal, but clearly customized to the owner’s specifications. There was every color, from polished chrome to soft rose-gold. Many were finished in enamel like Jacqueline’s pink, or black, or patterned to look like elaborate tattoos. And they told Bucky what the prosthetics had given them: a way to dance, or play piano, or cradle their children. Even little Jacqueline came to him, half-hiding behind her mother until Bucky knelt down and told her about his own daughter and sons, just about her age, and she smiled shyly and came closer. By the time they’d finished their chat, she had pulled several stickers out of her little purse and affixed them to Bucky’s arm.

They couldn’t completely avoid the reporters as they left the dining room, but Tony and Pepper were able to deflect them pretty well, so there were only a few quick questions which Steve answered smoothly. Soon they were back in their suite. Steve took Bucky’s hand and traced one finger over the cat face and yellow daisy Jacqueline had stuck there.

“She was really cute,” Steve noted. 

Bucky didn’t answer, just stared at the stickers on his arm. Steve frowned.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and Bucky looked up.

“I… It’s just hitting me now, Stevie, sorry,” he said. “I think… I just need a minute.”

“Of course,” Steve said.

“Shall I prepare some drinks for us?” Loki asked from where he perched on the edge of the bed, having already transformed his suit into soft pajamas. 

“Great idea,” Steve said, leading Bucky by the hand to join the demigod. Loki similarly transformed their clothes and conjured three wine glasses and a bottle on their night table. 

Steve filled the glasses and passed them down, then raised his own in a toast. “To our friend Tony Stark,” he said. “Nobel prize winner.”

“And Doctor Palmer, co-laureate,” Loki added.

“Cheers,” Bucky said quietly, then went on, “I don’t know how I feel about this, if I’m being honest. I mean, the technology for this…” He held out his prosthetic arm. “It was invented by a madman, a monster, and it was… grafted onto me against my will, not for my benefit, but to make me more efficient at killing people. I know Tony redesigned it, improved it, but that… seed of evil, it’s in there. And now, it’s helping people. Improving their lives. That little girl…” Bucky broke off, taking deep breaths through his nose to calm himself. Steve and Loki, on either side, each put a calming hand on his legs.

“I can’t believe it,” he finally said, his voice small.

“I had a most illuminating conversation with Miss Romanov once,” Loki said. “She, too, regretted the ‘red in her ledger.’ I told her trying to bring balance was a child’s game, that it was and would always be a part of her.”

“Where are you going with this, Loki?” Steve asked.

“I have lived a long time,” Loki said. “And one thing I do know is the universe does not keep ledgers. The wheel of fate cares not where it rolls. But the norns wove your destiny into the universe, and if you came to be where you are so children could play and lovers embrace and so many others could share their gifts, it is not for us to question."

Bucky stared into his dark lover’s eyes. “Thank you,” he said. “That helps, actually.”

“I’m glad, in truth,” Loki said, draining his glass and handing it to Steve to set on the night table. “Now, my beautiful James, let us not ponder the machinations of the universe. For your eyes are too blue not to stare into their depths.”

Loki plucked up Bucky’s wineglass and also passed it to Steve while rising smoothly and turning to straddle Bucky’s thighs. He ran his fingertips lightly over Bucky’s cheeks. “Your countenance is too fair not to willingly succumb to its beauty. And…” and here Loki leaned close and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Your lips are too sweet not to drink deeply from them.” Loki’s mouth closed over Bucky’s, and Bucky wrapped his arms around Loki’s body, crushing him into an embrace as he moaned with desire.

Loki gave a small, laughing gasp of his own, then his tongue found its way between Bucky’s lips to demand more. Loki’s body arched sinuously in Bucky’s arms, and then his fingers were twining in Bucky’s hair, cradling his head as his kiss grew deeper.

Bucky moaned again, then pulled back just long enough to gasp out “clothes,” before sinking into Loki’s mouth again. The alien gave a low chuckle into the kiss, and then their pajamas disappeared from their bodies.

Beside them, Steve made a small, surprised noise and then his large, strong hands were stroking them both and his mouth and tongue were sucking and laving at their throats.

Bucky pushed himself back on the bed, bringing Loki with him, then he slowly sank onto his back. Loki followed him down, spreading his long limbs over Bucky’s. Laughing, Steve fell down alongside them.

Loki stilled, then, and raised himself slightly. 

“What is it?” Bucky asked, also beginning to rise.

Loki laid one hand on Bucky’s chest and pressed him gently down. “I have something I wish to try,” he said. “But it will take a good deal of concentration, so I’ll need you both to follow me carefully.”

“Sounds intriguing,” Steve said. “But I’m game.”

“Me, too,” Bucky agreed. “Tell me what you need.”

“Just… lie very still, both of you,” Loki said, as his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. “I am not certain how this will manifest.”

Above Steve’s recumbent body a green mist began to form, becoming more solid and settling down on him. Steve could feel the mist taking on weight and firmness, and then he only managed not to startle too badly as a mirror-image of Loki was draped over him identically to the original over Bucky.

“Holy Christ,” Bucky breathed, and Loki’s eyes fluttered open. Above Steve, the double’s did the same. 

“Normally…” Loki said softly, clearly focusing hard, and Steve watched, transfixed, as the double’s lips silently moved to echo the words, “my simulacrums are illusion only, naught but life and shadow. To maintain a replica as such, with form and substance, is too difficult to control while engaging my own body, but I thought if I and my duplicate moved in tandem, we could both interact as one. But, I will need you to be passive. If one of us is distracted, the spell will break.”

“Is it like… a doll?” Steve asked.

“Not precisely,” Loki said “It is much more entwined with myself than that. Rather an extension of my consciousness, like another limb. I will feel sensation through it, simultaneous with this body.”

“Wow,” Bucky said.

“Yeah,” Steve replied.

“Well, we shall see,” Loki hedged. “Now…” 

Steve watched, transfixed, as Loki and his duplicate moved together, perfectly mirroring one another. Their hips rolled, and Steve felt the velvety hardness of the double’s member slide alongside his own, and he knew this sensation, recognized it as his beautiful dark god, even as he watched the same movements over Bucky, and knew he was feeling the same thing. As he tried to process it, knowing their bodies were experiencing the same excitement, the same perception, he felt his own passion amplified, heightened. 

Bucky’s fingertips brushed against his, and Steve chanced moving his hand to grasp them, and he felt Bucky return the squeeze. Loki maneuvered his body to take Bucky’s cock inside his prepared opening, and Steve felt his own slip inside the unique slick coolness that only Loki possessed, and then Loki and his double were moving again as one, rolling, grasping, giving the perfect mix of pressure and friction.

Both Lokis arched back, taking Steve and Bucky in deeper, harder, and Bucky held Steve’s hand more tightly. Steve stole a furtive glance, saw Bucky’s eyes were closed, his mouth slack, his head tipped back. Steve could hear the staccato grunts that meant he was very close to the edge, and realized he was very close to climax himself. He bit his bottom lip, trying to stave it off, just for a moment, but it was fruitless, and he climaxed with a cry, even as he heard Bucky do the same, almost an echo. A moment later, Loki took his own cock firmly in hand, pumping furiously a few seconds before his essence spurted over Bucky’s stomach, and Steve felt the same cold seed hit his own abdomen.

Loki’s eyes fluttered, and then the mirroring between himself and his double ceased as the duplicate went still and Loki gently stroked its arm. Steve felt the static electricity sensation of the spell being broken as the double dissolved back into green mist and was gone. 

Bucky reached up to guide Loki back down over him. “Oh, baby, that was amazing,” he crooned, kissing the alien’s face gently, over and over.

“Incredible,” Steve concurred, rolling onto his side to stroke Loki’s back. “You were absolutely magnificent.”

Loki was panting lightly, his eyelids making long, slow blinks. “I thank you, my loves,” he said, breathless. “Just give me a moment to…”

“No, no, shh, shh, shh,” Bucky soothed, easing Loki’s head onto his shoulder. “You just lie right here. Rest those beautiful eyes. It can wait. We’ll just sleep like this.”

“I… it won’t be a moment…” Loki slurred, his voice gone soft.

“Shh, it’s alright, Gorgeous,” Bucky said, his voice barely a whisper now. “It’s alright.” He drew this last word out, ending in a sibilant hiss, and Loki’s hand fell limply to the mattress.

“Wow,” Steve whispered. “He went out like a light.”

“That spell must have taken a lot out of him,” Bucky whispered back. “I’ve never seen him do anything like it.”

Steve shivered, still riding out the last aftershocks of his climax. “Yeah, it was really something else.”

They looked at Loki’s face, now slack in repose, and Bucky brushed one of Loki’s black locks from his forehead to tuck behind his ear. “We really are a couple of lucky sons of bitches,” Bucky said.

“You shouldn’t talk about your mother that way,” Steve teased, “but yeah. We sure are.”

+++

They decided to get room service the next morning, and spend a few leisurely hours in the suite before heading out. Lunch was a more informal affair with most of the guests from the preceding night, along with Bruce, Peter Parker and his aunt, Rhodes, and Happy, who had arrived for the Nobel ceremony itself, as Tony’s guests.

Bucky learned from several of the other recipients of Stark/Palmer prosthetics that Tony and Pepper had arranged for another banquet at the hotel for them that night, where they could watch a simulcast of the event.

“We’re all so excited,” Jacqueline’s mother gushed. “I feel like this is a family gathering, and you’re our grandfather.”

“Me?” Bucky said. “I was just the guinea pig.”

“You were so brave,” she insisted. “All of us are your children, in a way.”

Bucky couldn’t speak, he was so overcome, and Jacqueline gave him a heart-shaped sticker covered in pink glitter as a special gift for the ceremony.

+++

As their limousine approached the concert hall, Bucky shifted nervously and tugged at his tuxedo collar. It had become clear when they left the hotel that the ceremony was the cultural event of the year, and news crews from every corner of the earth seemed to be lining the road leading to it, hoping for a glimpse of one of the recipients. Bucky was clearly agitated, headed for panicked, as he realized the press of people he’d have to push through. 

“It’ll be alright,” Steve said reassuringly. “We’ll be on either side of you. No one will be able to get close.”

“Shall I cast a protection spell over us?” Loki asked. “It will prevent anyone from coming too close, unless you approach them first.”

Bucky turned to him with a grateful look. “Would you mind, Loki?”

“Not at all,” Loki assured him, patting Bucky’s knee. 

They managed to exit the Limo and get into the hall without incident, although they passed Tony and Christine, who were both surrounded by reporters. 

Steve steered them all to a quiet place half under a staircase, and after Bucky rubbed Jacqueline’s heart sticker a few times, he seemed to ground himself and they entered a large gallery where tables had been set up. Steve spotted Rhodes, who waved them over to their table, where Happy, Bruce, and the Parkers were already seated.

“Is this unbelievable?” May said. “I mean, I feel like I deal with impossible things all day long, but for some reason, this is what finally breaks me.”

Loki took both of May’s hands and kissed them cavalierly. “May, my dear, it’s so good to see you again,” he said.

“Oh, so charming,” she said demurely. 

“Hello, Captain, Sergeant, er… your Highness?” Peter said.

“It’s just Bucky,” Bucky said, although Loki made no attempt at correction, and they all took their seats.

“But, seriously, how about this place?” Happy said. “I did a little reading up about the other recipients tonight, and wow! Just amazing!”

Peter was twisting in his seat, trying to see the rest of the room. “I wonder if we’ll get a chance to meet any of them,” he said. “I’d kind of like to get Dr. Kodai’s thoughts on nanotube stabilization.”

“Hold on, the what now?” May demanded. 

“Interesting,” Bruce said. “Is that for, uh..?”

“Just some stuff I’ve been playing with,” Peter demurred. “I’ve been reading on the effects of irradiation…”

“No,” May said. “Absolutely not.”

“I’ve gotta go with your aunt on this one,” Bruce agreed. “That isn’t something to play with.”

“Still,” Peter persisted, but at that moment Tony and Pepper joined the table, and the next few minutes were taken up with handshakes and air kisses, and compliments of the ladies’ gowns. 

“Tony, I really can’t thank you enough for bringing us here,” May said. “It’s such an amazing opportunity.”

“And for once I can be honest about where I went for my internship,” Peter said. “Although my science teacher wants me to do a presentation for class.”

Tony chuckled. “Maybe I could stop by and answer a few questions,” he said. 

Peter’s face lit up. “Wow, would you really do that Mr. Stark, Tony? I mean, that would be fantastic!”

“Let me get back to the office and we’ll work something out,” Tony said. “I feel like I owe you after all the…” He glanced over at May and smiled disarmingly. “Interning,” he concluded.

“Thank you, Tony, you’re the best,” Peter said.

Tony nodded his acknowledgement and Pepper rolled her eyes.

Dinner was announced, and a large waitstaff moved like a well-drilled military unit through the room, serving drinks and the meal’s first course, a tuna ceviche salad. As further courses were served, Steve was reminded of the dinners at Tony’s various charity galas, dishes that were unusual and fussy in a way that suggested he would hate them, but that turned out to be so delicious that he wished he had ten of each. 

Loki was naturally enchanted with every bite, and could compare them to feasts in Asgard and other realms. Bucky was a little more dubious, but Steve told him, “just give it a taste, trust me,” and then he, too, was digging in with enthusiasm.

After dessert (a dark chocolate torte with raspberry sauce that was so good, Steve wanted to lick the plate clean), the evening’s program began. There were speeches from the three recipients of the physics award, and the literature winner gave an impassioned plea to end the mutilation of the little girls of her homeland that brought them all to tears. Then it was Tony’s turn.

He ascended to the podium to thunderous applause, and though Steve had seen him in this exact situation many times, Tony’s usual smug smile had been replaced by a look Steve had only seen on his face in small, private moments: humility and gratitude.

And then he grinned and the public mask slid back into place. “I don’t suppose I have to introduce myself,” he began, and the smooth Stark charm took over. Tony thanked Christine and her team, SI and his own researchers. He spoke of the Maria Stark foundation, and several of the recipients of the prosthetics who’d gone back to their previous lives. He mentioned Jacqueline and her sparkly pink arms.

And then, to Steve’s surprise, the mask was gone again, and, with a sincere apology to Bucky, Tony talked about Hydra, the horrible things they’d done to Bucky and unknown, nameless others lost to time. He didn’t mince words when he described the maiming and torture, but how, out of that horror, Christine had brought new hope, renewed life to merge with Tony’s innovative technology. And then the charm was back as he thanked the committee and introduced Christine.

He returned to the table as Christine took the podium, accepting a kiss from Pepper and arm pats from Rhodes and Happy. “I hope you were okay with that,” Tony said to Bucky. “You’re really the biggest part of this.”

“I kind of expected it after last night,” Bucky admitted. “I am glad at least something good could come out of this.”

“It’s a sad fact of life,” Tony said. “There are geniuses scattered at random through the entire human population. Some are saints, some are monsters, and it’s up to the rest of us to sift the good out of the shit ideology.”

“Should’ve included that little nugget in your speech,” Rhodes said.

Tony waved one hand. “I let Christine have that one. She can be more diplomatic about it. Now…” and he put his finger to his lips.

+++

It was late by the time they got back to the hotel, but a text soon came from Tony. “Pajama party in the Ambassador Suite. Not optional.” And since they were all a little keyed up anyway, they went.

Tony and Pepper were actually wearing matching pajamas, red printed with black and white dogs, so Loki, not to be outdone, conjured lounging clothes for himself and his husbands: black for himself, silvery-gray for Bucky, and a deep blue for Steve.

“Show off,” Tony muttered.

Rhodes, Bruce, Happy, and the Parkers were there, along with Christine and her family and colleagues, and, surprisingly, Natasha, the Maximoff twins, and Scott Lang. 

“We were in the neighborhood,” Natasha said casually.

“I thought you were looking into that disturbance in Latveria,” Steve said.

“When you’re flying a quinjet, that’s in the neighborhood,” Natasha told him.

“Plus, I can check off Sweden in my travel journal,” Scott said.

“You keep a travel journal?” Rhodes said, incredulous.

“Of course,” Scott said. “Cassie always wants to hear about where I go. Which reminds me, I need to get her some local candy.”

“Get her a Marabou bar,” Pepper said. “I like the dark ones, but the milk ones are sweeter.”

Scott smiled and shot her with finger guns. “Sounds perfect.”

Happy passed drinks out, and Tony stood and raised a glass. “Thank you everyone,” he said. “It wasn’t that long ago I was known as the ‘Merchant of Death,’ but now… I have a legacy I could never have imagined. And all of you have been such a big part of it. I know I’ve been making speeches all weekend, but really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

“Hear, hear,” Rhodes said, and they all drank.

Tony sat back on the sofa and draped his arm over Pepper’s back. She curled into his side and settled her head on his shoulder.

“So, I guess the big question is, what happens next?” Tony mused.

“Oh, I have the feeling you’re going to be very busy,” Pepper said, and Tony smiled down at her.

“Well, sure,” he said. “We have to change all my stationary now, to ‘Nobel Laureate Tony Stark.” They’ll probably have to update the website…”

Pepper’s smile widened, and Tony’s did in response. 

“Okay,” he said. “What is it? What’s the next big project?”

She kissed him playfully on the nose, still grinning. “I’m pregnant,” she said.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I dropped a similar cliffhanger in this series already, but this 1)shouldn't really be a surprise, and 2)we kind of had to get there. Hope you enjoyed it, please leave comments and kudos if you did, and I hope to have another story coming soon.


End file.
